Harlequins

Warhammer 40,000 Harlequins Game News, Reviews, Editorials & Unboxings.

The Harlequins are a faction from UK-Based Games Workshop's Tabletop Wargame Warhammer 40,000.The Harlequins, or Rillietann, are a unique subset of the Eldar race, who split their time between being talented battlefield fighters and theatrical performers. They exist outside of normal Eldar society and hold no allegiance to any Craftworld, Kabal, or other form of authority other than to their own belief in the Eldar deity Cegorach, the Laughing God.

Harlequins date back to the ancient Eldar Empire. They first appeared amid the hedonistic debauchery of the pre-Fall Eldar to perform their ancient mythic dances. During the Fall of the Eldar, the Laughing God Cegorach managed to escape destruction at the hands of Slaanesh. The followers of Cegorach were hidden safely away within the Webway and survived the disaster intact.

Harlequins carry out several self-appointed duties since the Fall of the Eldar, the most central of which is putting on theatrical performances of Eldar History. As the Eldar are a scattered race, Harlequins constantly tour the domains of their species in their duty to perform. The dual-aspect of their nature serves them well when abroad in the galaxy, as Harlequins are reckoned to be the deadliest combatants of all the Eldar.

The Harlequins, along with other mysterious guardians, watch over and protect the Black Library inside of the webway. It's said that they use its vast collected secrets to aid them in the war against Chaos.

Harlequins posses distinctive pieces of costuming/equipment, most notably their Agaith; false-faces. These masks come with various Eldar forms of auto-senses and respirators, and, with the exception of the blank Shadowseer masks, are highly ornamented.

Even compared to other Eldar, Harlequins are graceful and lithe; they augment this natural prowess with so-called 'flip-belts' that generate a small anti-gravitic field around them and allow them to leap unnaturally high. They also wear holo-suits; sophisticated substitutes for armour that also aid theatrical performance. When set to battle-conditions, whenever the Harlequin moves, their image is shattered into a cloud of crystal shards that dance and swirl around with vigour proportional to the speed the Harlequin is moving.

Harlequins are also noted for their exotic and deadly combat weapons. from the Harlequin's Kiss, to the gruesome Shrieker shuriken Cannon.